Secure battery to frame?

[Panda]

I bought a 100Ah battery recently for my City Express / NV200, but I have no idea where to begin for bolting the battery down. Should I look into housings? How do I know what is safe to screw into?

 

[John61CT]

PlusNuts let you anchor into the thinnest sheet metal.

Do not enclose completely unless you plan to vent outside.

 

[DannyB1954]

Walmart sells battery hold down brackets. Drill 2 holes through the floor one on each side of the battery for the hooked rods to go into. Plastic cases help keep things clean, but you need to fasten those to the floor well also. A 60lb chunk of lead has a lot of energy in an accident.

 

[MrNoodly]

Figure out where you can put the battery so if you drill through the floor you won't hit anything. Make a couple of lengths of threaded rod longer that your battery is tall. Make a strip of hardwood longer than your battery is wide. Drill drill a hole in each end of the wood. Put a nylock nut on the ends of the threaded rods. Slip the rods through the holes in the wood. Drape the assembly over your battery. Mark the floor where the ends of the rods touch. Drill holes in the floor. Take the rods out of the wood and feed them up through the floor and through the holes on the wood. (It's a good idea to use washers. It's also a good idea to double up on the nuts.) Tighten it all down with some wing nuts or regular nuts. If you're using a wet cell battery, it's a good idea to put it in one of those plastic battery boxes and make your rods and wood piece long enough to go over it.

 

[Weight]

If you drill through floor for the hold down bolts, be sure to use something like finder washers to spread the strain away from the holes and nuts.

 

[MrNoodly]

If you drill through floor for the hold down bolts, be sure to use something like finder washers to spread the strain away from the holes and nuts.

Yes, fender washers are a good idea. They also provide more area for sealant.

 

[Panda]

Could I fasten the battery to one of the tie down rings in the corner? I purchased a sealed AGM battery, I imagine it's safe from outputting dangerous gases? I haven't had much luck finding a suitable case for the battery, it seems most people create their own custom wood case.

 

[MrNoodly]

You could ratchet strap it to a tie-down. You don't really need a battery box for an AGM battery.

 

[seak]

You could ratchet strap it to a tie-down. You don't really need a battery box for an AGM battery.

Just my opinion, but battery boxes are a good idea unless the battery is installed under the hood or in a dedicated cabinet. Get a conductor across the terminals and the sparks will fly. If it gets wedged there, you have a fire potential. Stuff gets loose and shoved around in living spaces.

 

[MrNoodly]

But unless the box is a snug fit, it will wobble around, flexing and fatiguing the cables and connectors. You could cover the terminals with duct tape to prevent shorts.